Global / Pacific legal experts get to work on frontiers of climate change ‘emergency’

A Pacific Islands Forum gathering the top global minds on international law in Fiji this week is putting the spotlight on sea level rise as it implicates statehood and persons.

The four-day conference in Nadi, Fiji, was chaired by the High Commissioner of the Cook Islands to Fiji, HE Jim Armistead, supported by the Forum SG Henry Puna and Deputy, Dr Filimon Manoni, and attended by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) members including national, regional, and global officials, experts and diplomats working on the legal contexts of climate change impacts on ocean states.

Forum Chair, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown highlighted their anxiety around island nations losing shorelines and water security to the rising tides.

“You are at the forefront of groundbreaking work that will influence a legacy for our children and future generations into perpetuity,” Mr Brown said in a recorded presentation to the event.

He said sovereignty, lands and homes, fundamental and universal rights and freedoms, and the status of states are questions that “are difficult but real – they require solutions”.

“We are at a new frontier and the world once again looks to us to steer the way despite the problem and injustices being caused by others,” he said. “This is our lived reality. This is our ‘climate emergency’.”

He said the 2021 PIF Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change Related Sea Level Rise (2021 PIF Declaration) was a ground-breaking benchmark and “an excellent starting point for this Conference”.

Amongst other issues, the conference looked into next steps for the Declaration, and the mandate from Leaders to recognise the impact of climate change of Pacific peoples and statehood.

Forum SG Henry Puna urged continued focus on keeping global emissions below 1.5 degrees in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

“We must not lose sight of the bigger picture – climate change is an existential threat to our Pacific family and ensuring that we keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees, must always remain a top priority for us,” he said.

Keynote speaker for the event, Tuvalu Minister of Justice, Communications and Foreign Affairs Hon Simon Kofe said they had the power to make significant impact if they acted urgently and decisively.

“We must take an active stance, anticipate worst-case scenarios, and protect our Blue Pacific’s future,” he said. Conference outcomes were expected to go back to Forum Officials for further discussion and final reporting back to Pacific leaders, later in 2023.